According to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, "the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of the government". Both the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights acknowledge, in their first articles, the right of all people to self-determination. This entails their right to select state authorities, founded on their freely expressed will. Citizens have the right to participate in a political process of decision-making through which the creation and distribution of wealth and power is negotiated.
Democracy is seen as encompassing the institutional aspects of governance, as well as the notion of effective citizen participation. An important benchmark of the development of democracy and respect for human rights in a country is reflected in the vitality of its civil society. The institutionalization of norms and practices of democratic governance allows for the creation of effective mechanisms to facilitate interactive relationships between State and civil society organizations. Under these conditions, citizens not only have access to the State but are also equipped to systematically monitor its policies and their implementation. Democratic development, therefore, takes root and proceeds smoothly only when the institutional framework for the implementation of all human rights exists and the capacity of civil society to access those institutions is strengthened. RANA,San salvador